


Illusions of Grandeur

by CatHolmes



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: M/M, X-Men: First Class, charles/erik - Freeform, mind shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-30
Updated: 2012-07-30
Packaged: 2017-11-11 02:25:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/473433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatHolmes/pseuds/CatHolmes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fandom: X-Men: First Class<br/>Title: Illusions of Grandeur<br/>Rating: PG-13<br/>Pairing: Erik/Charles<br/>Summary: Charles and Erik attempt to recruit a mutant with the ability to create illusions. This does not end well. Based on the prompt from the X-Men: First Class kink meme.<br/>Author’s Commentary: I hope this is what the prompter was looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Illusions of Grandeur

Charles was convinced that they had found a solid recruit. After days of failed attempt after failed attempt, Erik had begun to doubt the entire thing. If it wasn’t for Charles’s enthusiasm, he would’ve left days ago. Meeting other mutants didn’t appeal to him at all. They were just a distraction to a bigger goal. 

Shaw was always ever present in his mind, taunting him. 

Charles was another distraction all together. His boyish mannerisms were as endearing as they were annoying. His eagerness to save the world was, at times, infectious. Erik hated to admit it, but there were times when Erik could see himself with Charles, working towards a brighter future. But he didn’t let himself play into this fantasy too long. 

It was a typical night for them. They were in a poorly lit bar, drinking cheap beer and looking around for one girl. 

“Her name is Mindy,” Charles had explained on the plane ride to California. 

“What’s so special about her?”

“She can create whole world’s and project them into people’s mind.” Charles had sound positively excited at the prospect of meeting someone so potentially powerful. 

Erik didn’t share his eagerness. He wasn’t comfortable with the idea of meeting someone like Mindy. It made him uneasy, the idea of someone being able to trap someone in their own mind. Besides that, when Charles had found her through Cerebro, it had left him more drained normal. 

Erik stayed at the bar as Charles approached Mindy. She was gorgeous, to be sure; big brown eyes, rich black hair. She was striking to be sure, but Erik couldn’t shake the feeling of distrust of her. It was her eyes, he realized as he got up to follow Charles. Her eyes were cold. She looked as though she were having a good time, but he could see the contempt there, the utter disdain for life. He felt the sudden urge to grab Charles and run away as fast as he could. 

“You want me to help you because I’m a mutant?” Mindy looked at the both of them as though they had extra heads. Erik was used to it. 

“What you can do is fascinating,” Charles explained, “you could be a big help to us.” 

“And why would I want to help you, or the U.S. government?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to help people like yourself?” 

Mindy laughed. “I’m sorry Mr. Xavier, but the last thing I want to do is hang around with a bunch of freaks.” 

“You’d rather be alone, without a family?” Charles asked, “feeling rejected by society, by your own sister?” 

Mindy’s entire posture changed. Gone was the confident stare, replaced by anger. Charles momentarily stumbled from the wave of anger he received from her. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” 

“Charles, its obvious Mindy rejected your request. We should leave her be.” 

Charles nodded in agreement and let Erik pull him away. But it was too late. 

Suddenly it felt as though the world tilted on its access. Erik nearly stumbled, but Charles took the brunt of the sudden psychic force and fell to the ground. He could feel and hear Charles’s sudden burst of panic in his own mind. He reached for Charles, but felt nothing. He looked up then, as the bar around them began to vanish, as if someone erased it. 

He was back in Shaw’s Hell hole; his favorite lab in the corner of the camp. The coldness of the prison seeped into his bones, infecting his very mind. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think past I can’t be here, please someone get me out of here. His senses went into overdrive, all telling him to run.  
He stood up from where he had knelt down beside Charles and was now greeted by the face of Shaw. He instinctively lashed out, punching the man in the face. The force of the blow sent Shaw clear across the room. 

Tendrils of white hot rage burned through him. All he could feel was that rage. He approached Shaw, his whole body pulsing, causing the metal around him starting to shake. Shaw looked up at him, bleary eyed and confused. 

“Erik, what are you doing?” 

He heard a moan near him and turned to see Charles on the floor, bleeding from a wound in his chest. 

He moved away from Shaw and was at Charles side in an instant. 

His hands shook as he pulled Charles into his arms. 

“No, please God no.” Charles looked up at him, his eyes glazed over. His eyelids fell shut and he stilled against him. 

Erik placed him on the ground as gently as he could and looked back at Shaw. He had done this. He had taken away the only thing he had in this world. He made his way back to Shaw and grabbed him by the throat. 

“Erik stop,” Shaw spoke between gasps. “It isn’t real, stop!” 

Erik felt hands on his back, trying to pull him from Shaw. He responded by finding any metal on them and throwing them away. 

Beneath him, Shaw was struggling to get Erik’s hands from his neck. 

“Erik, please, its me…” 

Shaw’s hands went slack and fell away from Erik’s own calloused fingers. 

Looking into Shaw’s eyes, he saw nothing of the man who had haunted dreams. In fact, his eyes were… blue? He got flashes of images in his minds, of happier times, seeing his mother’s smile, spending time with Charles in the mansion. 

“Charles?” 

The illusion melted away and Erik realized that Charles was underneath him, his own hands still wrapped around the younger man’s throat. He immediately let go, reeling back as though he had been burned. The bar patrons circled around him, too stunned to do anything. 

Mindy stood with them, smirking. He resisted the urge to up and punch her in the face. 

Charles was struggling to get air back into his lungs. Erik could see the bruises already beginning to form on his neck. 

“Charles, I’m so sorry.” 

Charles coughed again and looked up at him. 

“Erik, are you all right?” Of course the idiot was only worried about everyone but himself. 

“Erik, we should go.” Erik pulled him up, afraid to touch him any more than he had to. 

They left the bar quickly, barely avoiding the cops in the process. They eventually made it back to their motel. Erik tried to convince Charles to go to a hospital, but the stubborn bastard refused, explaining he wasn’t in the mood to be poked and prodded. 

Charles ended up outside on the small porch area, watching the throngs of people below them. Erik took a seat next to him, trying to ignore the guilt that was eating away at him. 

“Erik, you’re projecting so loud the entire city can hear you,” Charles said gently, his voice rough, but with the same level of mirth to it. 

“I’m…” 

“Don’t Erik. It wasn’t your fault. Mindy has quite an exponential ability.” 

“She’s dangerous.” 

“Erik, we’re all dangerous.” 

Erik didn’t believe that about Charles. He couldn’t even think of sweet, innocent Charles doing what Mindy could do. What he himself could do. Charles seemed above that. But he wouldn’t argue the point. It would do no good. 

“What did she make you see?” Erik asked. 

“Nothing I hadn’t already seen in your mind.” 

Erik truly doubted that Charles saw what he did, but he wouldn’t press the issue. Charles stood up slowly and eased into a chair closer to him. 

“I’m sorry Erik. I should’ve seen this coming. I’m just so eager to help people, people like us, I forget that some of them are going to be hostile towards us. And with your history…” 

“Its nice to know I’m not the only monster out there.” 

“Erik, you’re not a monster. One of these days, you’ll truly believe it.” 

END


End file.
